Two parts pop culture, a dash of professional librarianship and a whole lot of World of Warcraft.

Sunday, July 29, 2001

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

The time has finally come. The expansion set to Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo II has been released. After months of waiting, it is officially time to enjoy this wonderful effort by one of the world's best PC game producers.

In case you've been living on another planet for the last year, Diablo II is the latest game from Blizzard, the venerable producers of such masterpieces as WarCraft II, StarCraft, and the original Diablo. Diablo II takes up where the first left off, offering many more role-playing possibilities. I've spent more hours playing Diablo II during this last year than any other game. And I've enjoyed every second of it.

The original five characters of Diablo II (Barbarian, Amazon, Sorceress, Necromancer, and Paladin) have been supplemented by two new additions: the Assassin and the Druid. There have been many other improvements in the game too. Each of the new characters has a brand new ability tree to exploit. The size of your stash has been increased, so you can store more loot. New items have been introduced, including runes and jewels. Powerful new types of items can be created by players (crafted items can be made by utilizing the Horadric Cube and specific recipes). There are now character specific items. The game can now be played at a new, more detailed 800 x 600 resolution. And, an entirely new Act V has been added, which will challenge even the most experienced Diablo II fan.

It's been about a month since the D2 expansion has been released. I feel like I've been playing a new game. The improvements are wonderful. There is drama in the new act. There is also a great Wow! factor in playing the new characters. The expansion is well worth buying. Blizzard Entertainment has continued its tradition of creating quality PC games and expanding upon them to insure play longevity for the consumer.

Of course, you will need the original Diablo II in order to use the expansion set. If you don't already have D2 and have not experienced it yet, go out and buy both immediately and prepare to be amazed.